The Boston Celtics outlasted the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 127-120 in overtime on Wednesday night in a big showdown of conference leaders.
St. Louisan Jayson Tatum was front and center in leading the Celtics to the victory in this much anticipated game between the teams with the two best records in the league.
The former Chaminade College Prep All-American scored a game-high 45 points to lead the Celtics to its franchise record 18th consecutive home court victory. More importantly, it was Tatum who took over the final stretches of the game to make sure that the Celtics perfect home record stayed intact this season.
The Celtics trailed by seven points with three minutes left in regulation when Tatum took matters into his own hands. He scored 18 of the Celtics final 25 points of the game. In the overtime period, he personally outscored the Timberwolves 12-9.
Tatum enjoyed a stellar shooting performance on Wednesday night as he was 13 of the field and six of 11 from 3-point range. He also added four rebounds and two assists to the winning cause. Teammate Jaylen Brown added 35 points, which amounted to 80 points for the Celtics’ dynamic duo.
For the season, Tatum is currently averaging 28 points a game, which is sixth in the National Basketball Association. He is also averaging 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 48 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the 3-point line. The Celtics are currently 29-8, which is the best in the NBA.Â
The Timberwolves are 26-11, which is currently the best record in the Western Conference, just ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder. They were led by star guard Anthony Edwards, who scored 29 points and power forward Karl Anthony Towns, who had 25 points and 13 rebounds.
